I never was completely brought into the feminism camp. I grew up with a very strong willed mother who, despite her independence and higher education, never bought into the feminist movement. Throughout my years at college I have seen a frustrating amount of women touting their feminism as a badge of honor while still letting their entire lives revolve around their boyfriends or saying catty things about other women out of spite. Feminism has become a buzzword that women like to throw around to defend opinions or behavior that don’t seem to line up with actual, purported feminism values.
I’m starting to get confused as to what feminism actually means. Is it about equal pay, breast-feeding in public, rape culture or Olivia Wilde? The whole movement is starting to overwhelm me. What does it all really mean? Shouldn’t the core of feminism center around supporting and empowering other women to think, act and voice their own opinions and be heard?
In an attempt to untangle some of the confusion around the feminist movement, many women are acting in solidarity to express their own views about why they don’t need feminism through social media platforms such as Tumblr and Facebook. One would like to think that feminism is about giving women a voice, even if this voice doesn’t always agree with their values. Think again.
While I notice feminist women cringe over the use of words such as “bitch,” “slut” and “pussy,” they don’t seem to mince words when it comes to laughing at groups of women who don’t agree with their philosophy. Enter the @NotoFeminism twitter handle with over 50,000 followers on its first post from August 5. In an attempt to poke fun at the emerging Women against Feminism movement they resort to cheap digs, silly misspellings and punctuation.
Via: mic.com
In an arena where misconceptions and prejudices are thrown back and forth it seems like this Twitter handle not only demeans the antagonists of feminism but also seriously underestimates them. There are many women who don’t subscribe to the word “feminism” because of its negative connotations, not because they’re ignorant or insensitive. Some are tired of being put in a box or being told they are victims or simply can’t identify with the movement. Not all anti-feminists are conservative, anti-abortionist protestors. Maybe some are frustrated with a movement that easily sidetracks and contradicts itself. Every movement draws both opposition and support. @NotoFeminism tries to imply that women who don’t jump on the feminism train are stupid and even uneducated. If this Twitter handle claims to speak for feminists, it seems to oppose the whole philosophy of supporting other women and their choices.
I will assert that I am not completely devoid of a sense of humor. Nor am I trying to blow this out of proportion. It’s an ironic Twitter handle attempting to be sarcastic and witty. However, the fundamental issue is that while it bashes one movement it also contradicts the very movement it claims to represent. Sure, laugh at it but also consider the ramifications of a feminist movement that purports the same behavior it claims to combat in the patriarchy.
Featured photo courtesy of: intrigue.ie
